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Band-in-a-Box for Windows
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Joined: Oct 2009
Posts: 6
Newbie
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OP
Newbie
Joined: Oct 2009
Posts: 6 |
I am looking into music making as a hobby, so very new to this. I discovered Band in a Box via Internet searching and think it might be what I'm looking for, but before shelling out to get it I'm hoping you might provide me some advice. I know very little about music theory, and find using programs like Logic Express, Sony Music Studio, and even garage band to be either way too complicated or just not providing what I'm looking for. I am looking for something that will take some of my basic ideas for how I want my songs to sound without me needing to 1) know how to play a real instrument like a piano or guitar (I am trying to learn), and 2) can perhaps generate my song from me inputing key paramaters like the chords. What caught my attention with Band in a Box was it appears to do #2 exactly. I would really appreciated advice - especially from other newbies. Does it have a steap learning curve or can you begin being productive right out of the box? I was hoping they offered a limited time/feature demo version to trial, but I don't see anywhere where a trial version is available, so really relying on others recommendations before I buy. Thanks 
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Band-in-a-Box for Windows
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Joined: Oct 2008
Posts: 19,679
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Veteran
Joined: Oct 2008
Posts: 19,679 |
chiguy,
I'm not a newbie but BIAB does indeed allow you to enter chords and then it will play an accompaniment. You can then record yourself singing of humming the melody if you wanted. You could also enter a melody using the keyboard of a mouse. The accompaniment is chosen from one of a few thousand styles! It's a brilliant program.
PGMusic do offer 30 days money back if you are not satisfied. They will stand by this. Over the years, I have learned that PGMusic has a huge amount of integrity and that they look after their customers really, really well. I'd also imagine, that if you purchased an entry pack into BIAB and then decided that you wanted to upgrade with 30 days, PGMusic would assist. It might pay to drop them an email and ask about this, though.
All the best,
Noel
MY SONGS...Audiophile BIAB 2024
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Band-in-a-Box for Windows
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Joined: Dec 2002
Posts: 12,174
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Veteran
Joined: Dec 2002
Posts: 12,174 |
<I am looking into music making as a hobby...> Well I'm not a newbie either, but I once was not so long ago. This is exactly how I started almost 17 years ago. I found BIAB early in the process and have not looked back since. BIAB has been with me thorough this "hobby", obsession, release, passion, love affair, addiction, for the entire time. It has never ceased to challenge me and fuel my education and creative juices for this art form. So do I recommned it? You bet. But be sure to supplement it with the more traditional teaching and learning methods. BIAB will not make you a musician, but it can make you a better musician. Good Luck and Welcome to the forum.
BIAB – 2025, Reaper (current), i7-12700F Processor, 32GB DDR4-3200MHz RAM, 1TB WD Black NVMe SSD, 2TB WDC Blue SSD, 1TB WD Blue, 2 TB SK NVMe, 6 TB External, Motu Audio Express 6x6
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Band-in-a-Box for Windows
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Joined: Jan 2005
Posts: 4,900
Veteran
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Joined: Jan 2005
Posts: 4,900 |
Welcome, chiguy Yes. PG software should DEFINITELY be on your list of 'must have' music software. I have been using the programmes here for over 15 years and have never found anything better, more intuitive or more useful. And every six months or so, it just gets better!  However, I wonder about your personal situation. What instrument are you learning? Are you a singer? Is your music theory knowledge better than your playing? What exactly do you want to achieve? BIAB will do all that you have asked and more - at a click or two of the mouse, you can generate whole new songs, including arrangement, solos and melodies. You can then include RealTracks, and make any adjustments you want before taking it to RealBand for extra additions, re-recording, mixing and mastering. However, some sixth sense intuition tells me that you might well consider looking at M$ SongSmith at this time. PG is also involved in that
Follow That Dream Sam Karaoke King -------------------- Turning that corner again - I have to keep following that dream, no matter what
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Band-in-a-Box for Windows
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Joined: Oct 2009
Posts: 24
Enthusiast
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Enthusiast
Joined: Oct 2009
Posts: 24 |
Buy it, with all the Real Drums and Real Tracks you can afford the next time a special pops around. Or buy the Audiophile edition. I am a songwriter and used BIAB for drafting songs and then even developing very good drafts. The piano, bass, and drums on both of the songs "Dancing With You" and "For Our Childrens Children" were directly from BIAB: http://www.myspace.com/tallpaulandfriendsYou can't beat it for a quick way to change tempo, change keys, change style, add instrumentalists... you name it. And RealTracks is the icing on the cake. If you have a great synth, you can even get great sounds via MIDI. For example, the piano in For Our Childrens Children is MIDI then sent into my external Roland synth. Paul
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Band-in-a-Box for Windows
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Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 5,082
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Veteran
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Posts: 5,082 |
Get it. Biab is worth more then they charge for the program. You don't have to be a musician to use it either, as long as you know some chords and song structure. Input the chords, pick a style and off you go.
Trax
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Band-in-a-Box for Windows
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Joined: Jul 2002
Posts: 3,707
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Joined: Jul 2002
Posts: 3,707 |
as far value for the money and living up to the claims made by the publisher you won't find better products then those sold by PG music
it is your expectations regarding what you expect to get from the effort you put into the program that need to be clear
try and write down as specific as you Can what you expect to do and what you expect from the program to do
the money back guarantee is REAL and the PG organization first rate i have found the crippled demos more frustrating in that i am usually unable to save work
i have found it helpful to watch the mew features videos from the earliest to the latest as well as review the FAQ section this has given me a better idea of what to expect from the programs
you can find these by clicking on the support menu'
hope you decide join the club and can experience the fun the rest of us are having
oh yeah if you have questions along the way you won't find a more helpful and s supportive neighborhood
Lenovo YOGA 900 Window s 10 Home 64bit 16GB RAM\2018 13” MacBook Air casio wk7500 presonus audiobox i2 usb interface
casio wk-7500
biab & realband 2023 everything pk both with Current builds
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Band-in-a-Box for Windows
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Joined: Oct 2009
Posts: 6
Newbie
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OP
Newbie
Joined: Oct 2009
Posts: 6 |
Thanks everyone for your input. I decided to invest in BIAB 2009.5 for Windows today. I think this will help me as I begin my journey with this hobby. I am trying to learn electric guitar, and I think BIAB will be useful. I like the way it can generate a complete song based on my input. If nothing else, it looks like it will be a fun tool to use.
I've installed it and applied the 285 patch that was supplied and everything went fine. Now I am trying to apply the latest patch (287) but I keed getting errors that in cannot find or cannot delete bbw.exe. Anyone know a solution - I have to abort the patch to get past the error - I am too hesitent to say ignore it. I'll search the forum to see if anyone has posted on this problem.
Again, thanks everyone for your advice. I really appreciated it.
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Band-in-a-Box for Windows
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Joined: Dec 2000
Posts: 12,667
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Joined: Dec 2000
Posts: 12,667 |
Hi, Chiguy -
What operating system are you using? If Vista, you might want to try right clicking on the path 287 update file and select "run as administrator". See if that helps.
John Laptop-HP Omen I7 Win11Pro 32GB 2x2TB, 1x4TB SSD Desktop-ASUS-I7 Win10Pro 32GB 2x1.5TB, 2x2TB, 1x4TB SATA BB2025/UMC404HD/Casios/Cakewalk/Reaper/Studio One/MixBus/Notion/Finale/Dorico/Noteworthy/NI/Halion/IK http://www.sus4chord.com
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Band-in-a-Box for Windows
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Joined: May 2000
Posts: 38,502
Veteran
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Veteran
Joined: May 2000
Posts: 38,502 |
If you just bought BIAB today, it should already be the latest version.
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Band-in-a-Box for Windows
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Joined: Oct 2009
Posts: 6
Newbie
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OP
Newbie
Joined: Oct 2009
Posts: 6 |
Quote:
Hi, Chiguy -
What operating system are you using? If Vista, you might want to try right clicking on the path 287 update file and select "run as administrator". See if that helps.
Tried running as Administrator, got same error. Decided to try a reboot - that worked. The magic Windows Reboot seems to solve most problems 
Thanks
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Band-in-a-Box for Windows
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Joined: Oct 2008
Posts: 19,679
Veteran
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Veteran
Joined: Oct 2008
Posts: 19,679 |
Chiguy,
You can see what what version BIAB you have by going to HELP >> ABOUT BAND IN A BOX. It will give you a version (2009.5) and in brackets beside that will be the update number.
Regards,
Noel
MY SONGS...Audiophile BIAB 2024
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Ask sales and support questions about Band-in-a-Box using natural language.
ChatPG's knowledge base includes the full Band-in-a-Box User Manual and sales information from the website.
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Holiday Weekend Hours
Our Customer Service hours this weekend are as follows:
Friday, April 18: 8:00 - 4:00
Saturday, April 19: closed
Sunday, April 20: closed
Monday, April 21: Regular hours
Thank you!
Band-in-a-Box 2025 French Version is Here!
Bonjour à tous,
Band-in-a-Box® 2025 pour Windows est disponible en Français.
Le téléchargement se fait à partir du site PG Music
Pour ceux qui auraient déjà acheté la version 2025 de Band-in-a-Box (et qui donc ont une version anglaise), il est possible de "franciser" cette version avec les patchs suivants:
BIAB 2025 - francisation
RealBand 2025 - francisation
Voilà, enjoy!
Band-in-a-Box 2025 German Version is Here!
Update Your Band-in-a-Box® 2025 to Build 1128 for Windows Today!
Already using Band-in-a-Box 2025 for Windows®? Download Build 1128 now from our Support Page to enjoy the latest enhancements and improvements from our team.
Stay up to date—get the latest update now!
Update to RealBand® 2025 Build 5 Windows Today!
Already using RealBand® 2025 for Windows®? Download Build 5 now from our Support Page to ensure you have the latest enhancements and improvements from our team.
Get the latest update today!
PowerTracks Pro Audio 2025 for Windows is Here!
PowerTracks Pro Audio 2025 is here! This new version introduces many features, including VST3 support, the ability to load or import a .FLAC file, a reset option for track height in the Tracks window, a taller Timeline on the Notation window toolbar, new freeze buttons in the Tracks window, three toolbar modes (two rows, single row, and none), the improved Select Patch dialog with text-based search and numeric patch display, a new button in the DirectX/VST window to copy an effects group, and more!
First-time packages start at only $49. Already a PowerTracks Pro Audio user? Upgrade for as little as $29!
www.pgmusic.com/powertracks.htm
Video: Summary of the New Band-in-a-Box® App for iOS®
Join Tobin as he takes you on a tour of the new Band-in-a-Box® app for iOS®! Designed for musicians, singer-songwriters, and educators, this powerful tool lets you create, play, and transfer songs effortlessly on your iPhone® or iPad®—anytime, anywhere.
Band-in-a-Box® for iOS® :Summary video.
Check out the forum post for more information.
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